TRIMESTER

In lieu of any truly interesting stories of adventure or mayhem, I can offer these selections from my Trimester Reports for those of you who might like to know a bit more about my job. These reports are compiled and presented to members of congress who approve our funding. Some of the formating did not cut-and-paste perfectly, and some sections of the report were not included - sorry.

1) In 1961 President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. Describe your progress (in terms of activities and numbers of participants) over the past trimester at site based on the three goals of Peace Corps:

A. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their needs for trained men and women.

By September of 2006 it was clear we were experiencing the re-birth of the Tanna coffee industry. I continued working the Coffee Development Program in the following ways:

 I continued to directly assist both farmers and the Purchasing Agent in the coffee buying transaction. This process repeated itself hundreds of times ultimately affecting upwards of 350 farmers (15% female) and their families.

 I began the training of a newly hired factory bookkeeper, a young woman named Ruth, to learn the simplified book-keeping records of the factory.

 I continued the training of Kamut Lao, the Purchasing Agent, in management, organization, farmer relations, as well as in the use of a digital scale which involved the application of rounding decimals. Kamut’s lessons on rounding have not gone well. Despite my best efforts the concept remains abstract to him and he will continue to need supervision when scaling coffee.

 I provided total day-to-day management of the factory during this period, as the local manager was not provided a 2006 contract for the program developers. This included assisting Kamut in acquiring official personal identification (birth certificate) so he can be a co-signer on the COV bank account.

 Continued the collection of data from all coffee farmers to provide DARD and Coffee Development Program participants relevant and accurate information from which to base actions (e.g. training)

 I met formally with the Board of Directors of the Coffee Organization of Vanuatu (COV). For our meeting I prepared a detailed “Technical Assistant Report” that was designed to bring all members up-to-speed on all issues effecting our operation. This report, including financial documents and forcasting was heavily referenced during the meeting.

 Greatly assisted in the organization and implementation of a “Coffee Day” awareness seminar. This involved providing scheduling, information, and talking-points to six different speakers and the coordination of disseminating the information to a room of coffee farmers and enlisting their help in further spreading the information through-out the island.

 Began monthly meetings with the officers of the TAFEA-DARD office to cooridinate projects, troubleshoots problems, and provide organizational and managerial assistance.

 Began meeting with TAFEA–DARD officers to discuss and plan a Peace Corps initiated Coffee-Kava Field Survey to commence the beginning of 2007.

 Closed the factory end of November and traveled to Vila to continue working on behalf of the Coffee Development Program. In December this meant a week with TCDC to map out logistical and financial concerns for the coming year.

 Providing managerial assistance to White Beach Bungalows came to a halt after the Chief abruptly took control of the financials and pushed aside other family members in the daily operations of the business. He has expressed no interest in continuing the dialoge I had established with the official manager nor have I attempted to provide further assistance at this time.

B. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

Now very well integrated into my Lowkatai village and the surrounding West Tanna I’ve had hundreds of conversations with Ni-Vans about American life, our culture and our people.

From my first Trimester Report, which can be quoted directly:

There have been countless situations where Ni-Vans will ask questions about the few subjects they know of America – namely the terror attacks of 9/11, World War II, and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – none of which they have any clear or full understanding. This provides me an opportunity to talk about American culture as it relates to foreign policy, and to explain about events like 9/11 that ultimately effect hundreds of millions of people around the globe and yet barely register in this remote island nation.

On many occassions I will sit down with Ni-Vans, many of which are illiterate, and go through an issue of Newsweek International, or other magazines, and try to explain, as simply as possible, the stories behind all the different pictures. In this way they learn not only about the United States, but also about the entire outside world.

Some families, such as my new Tanna family, some times have the ability to watch videos, or full-length films. This provides yet another opportunity to explain what they are seeing, to help them differentiate between reality and fantasy, and to give background where history is needed. As with the magazine sessions I often interject information even when not directly asked so as to provoke conversation.

Additionally I’ve cooked American-style meals for Ni-Vans, invited them into my house and explained my different objects, introduced them to my music which I play regularly at the factory, and allow them to observe my behavior when I do things like care for my puppy or wash my own laundry.

C. Helping promote a better understanding of other people on the part of all Americans.

I continue to write letters home providing in-depth details about the life and culture that I’m witnessing here in Vanuatu. In each case the recipients of my letters are asked to share the news and stories with other interested friends and family. Additionally, I’ve been keeping an internet journal, or blog, as a means of mass communication. The tone of the blog is designed for a small, personal collection of friends and family, much like the letters, but particular posts may possibly be read by countless Americans as everything I write on the blog is completely accessible to anyone with internet access. My goal with the letters and blog has always been to portray Vanuatu culture, as well as my experiences as a PCV, accurately if not humorously, and with understanding, curiousity, and humanity.

I have previously connected with, but have NOT continued to have any further contact with my matched Coverdall World Wise School teacher. I emailed as much generalized detail as I thought appropriate, as well as inviting her to read my blog (before sharing with her students) and to then determine a future course of dialog. She was invited to make further contact with me at her convenience but I’ve not heard back from her. At this stage I consider the match to be unsuccessful.

2) Describe the personal and professional challenges you experienced at site and the strategies you used to address them (confidential issues on a separate sheet)

My Peace Corps service began with me basically partnered with an extended PCV working on the same project. At first this was a huge bonus as he was able to more quickly get me integrated and up-to-speed on the project and into my community. In the beginning the project literally needed our combined efforts as the factory was understaffed at a time of high production. However in hindsight I can see how after the first one or two months this overlap actually became a hindrence to my professional progress especially as the project was concerned. Participants on the project continued to prefer to deal directly with the other PCV instead of with me and this put me at a disadvantage when the original PCV finished his contract. Further, our differing styles of management and organization continued to hold me back during the first six months of my service. At the time this was happening my experiences were all so new and different that I wasn’t aware of the effects this overlap was having on my work and life. For this reason I didn’t have any need to implement any strategies to address this issue.

Language has stopped being a professional challenge, although at times I continue to struggle with full comprehension. Some cultural issues have presented new and different challenges, such as the Ni-Van habit of not sharing information. This requires remembering to ask as many questions in as many different ways as possible.


1) Please list your priorities and plans for the next trimester:

I will begin the year stationed in Vila until the end of January when we have a scheduled COV Board meeting.

Ø Meet with the Ministry of Trade to discuss the Integrated Framework Program and how they can utilize the Coffee Development Program as an example for shifting economic policy.
Ø Meet with the Director of Agriculture to discuss the future of the COV Board, integration of Ni-Van ownership on the project, DARD staffing issues, CKPS – field survey, and additional PCV’s in Tanna.

Ø Begin seeking donor funding for a “wish list” of coffee factory needs and wants for the coming harvest.

Ø Upon my return to Tanna to begin meetings with DARD to coordinate the CKPS and then to, as soon as possible, implement the CKPS to be conducted during the months of February, March, April and May.

Ø With a Dept. of Agriculture agent, visit each coffee pulping station located through-out the island to assess maintenance/repair needs and to train the local farmers to conduct the maintenance.

Ø Assign a printed number to each pulping station for coffee tracking purposes. This will also help with future organic certification.

Ø Identify up-and-coming coffee producing villages to determine where to place future pulpers.

Ø Make further improvements to the factory to aide in the organziational flow for what we expect will be a doubling of production for the 2007 season.

Ø Contact and determine the needs of the Lowkatai School for participation in the Cyclone Ivy Re-habilitation fund.

2) Please provide feedback to your APCD and other Staff in terms of support you require:

I need support from APCD in the form of putting pressure on the (national level) Department of Agriculture to provide more thorough support to the COV and the coffee industry in general through the TAFEA-DARD office. The Director, Dorosday Kenneth, does not attend board meetings opting to send an alternate, and has not offered any solid advice or support to making the board more engaged. Additionally we do not have financial support from the Vanuatu government at a critical time when our donor support is being withdrawn. I need PC to pressure the Vanuatu government to lend any and all support to the program to keep it afloat during this tenuous stage of development.

3) Please attach any materials you have developed and wish to share with other PCV’s. Also, please attach your Reef Check surveys if applicable.

No new materials at this time.

4) Narrative: Write a press release about your assignment. This can be a specific project on which you worked, or a general account of the past trimester. In the opening paragraph please frame the press release in terms of who, what, where, why, how, etc. This may be actually used as a press release in Vanuatu, the U.S., or other media. Attach pictures if available.


The Peace Corps helped oversee the close of the 2006 Vanuatu coffee harvest – a season of amazing re-vitalization from a project five years in the making. After years of studies, infrastructure development, farmer training, cyclones, and other ups and downs, the program realized the fruits of its labors with the quadrupling of coffee production from 7 tons in 2005 to nearly 28 tons in 2006.

The development program has had many individuals and program participants lending support over the years with the Peace Corps role evolving and growing from it’s entry in 2004. During the 2006 harvest the Peace Corps, in the absense of a qualified Ni-Van, managed all daily activities of the coffee factory, lent support to the local purchasing agent, and trained a new factory bookkeeper. The Peace Corps continued on-going data collection to provide relevant and timely information to all program participants, in particular the names and addresses of all our registered farmers. We hope the information will be used to further provide training, strengthen the bond between the program and the individual farmers, as well as satisfy the informational needs of current and/or future donar bodies.

The Peace Corps continued to advise and support the Coffee Organization of Vanuatu Board of Directors (COV) – a collection of prominent Ni-Vans charged with overseeing the local industry. The Peace Corps directly assisted the Board with contract negotiations, price structuring, financial planning, forecasting, as well as providing general information to keep all members aware and up to speed on all factory activities especially during this time of renewed and rapid growth.

After the close of the 2006 harvest, with it’s surprising numbers, the Peace Corps travelled to Port Vila to meet at length with Tanna Coffee Development Company. As the sole purchaser of all COV production, it was imperative to discuss and strategize with TCDC all logistics for the coming 2007 harvest in which we anticipate a possible doubling of production from 2006 levels.

To help ensure the future growth of the newly revitalized industry the Peace Corps continues to work with and advise the local and national levels of the Department of Agriculture in their role on the coffee development program. The future will see the building of new pulping stations, development of new coffee nurseries, continued farmer training, and the proposed Coffee-Kava Production Survey (CKPS) to commence early 2007.

The Peace Corps-proposed CKPS is designed primarily as an important information gathering endeavor as well as a means to train the local Agriculture Officers in information gathering techniques and the importance and power of information. Our goals are to canvass the entire island of Tanna to learn exactly how much coffee is being farmed, where it’s being farmed, and who is doing the farming. Additionally to conduct a simultaneous introductory survey of kava farming with the goal of identifying motivated kava farmers. We anticipate the information will be greatly beneficial to all program participants in the future growth of the coffee industry as well as provide a foundation of data for the formation of a possible future kava organization.

POST DELAY

No... I'm not suffering from writers block, but rather Ghiardia-butt. I think I've been working through a minor (major?) case of ghiardia this past week. It's left me feeling more than a bit drained - pun intended. I haven't been in much of a mood to get out and about, to say the least. And yet, here I am.

Because I love you.

February has been a good month. Matt and I have been getting along in a whole new way - he seems to have given up some of his old hang-ups and that's a good thing. Then the Peace Corps decided to relocate to Tanna another volunteer from my training group, a girl who was a close friend of both Matt and I. So how lucky is that? She'll be in Isangel hopefully providing some much needed organizational support to the Department of Agriculture. As with Matt she is close enough that we can all see each other several times each week. I consider myself pretty damn lucky to have not just one, but two good friends so close. I was expecting total isolation, and for most PCV's that's what they get.

The survey has been delayed over and over again waiting for this thing or that person or whatever. At first this was really irritating to me since I was feeling pressured to get it finished before the start of the coffee harvest in May. Now I've decided that it really shouldn't matter that much. This means the past couple weeks have been all about welcoming a few new volunteers to Tanna, settling back into my bungalow, and having stomach issues.

DEAR ELIN

Dear Elin,

Thanks for your post on the previous entry. My name isn't Jeff, however. That was just a letter to another PCV who served on my project before me.

I'm excited for your impending "dive" into the Peace Corps - you are about to have a truly unique experience. Too soon to say whether it will be good or bad, but it will certainly be unique. hahah. Try and muscle your way onto Tanna Island 'cause we kick ass down here. Of course you will have no say whatsoever about which island you get.

Please send me a list of any questions you may have - I would be very happy to provide you any advice or information you may want or need. Please use my email: bserwalt@gmail.com.

If you are scheduled to begin training in April, as I did just last year, then you will likely get a one-day trip to our annual All-Volunteer conference which happens the second week of May. We will get a chance to meet at that time!

Some Tips: Bring a cheap hammock, lots of zip-lock bags, and if you wear contact lenses you should definitely bring them - the water is clean here!

No need to bring sunscreen, bugspray, or medical supplies such as tylenol - the medical office provides an endless free supply. Oh, and no one wears sunglasses outside of Vila. I know it's dangerous but that's how it is.

And my iPod is the best friend I ever had. Without it I may shrivel up and die. Get one, load it up as much as possible, and bring it along with a solar charger.

Best of luck with the rest of the process!

DEAR JEFF

Dear Jeff,

Welcome back to Vanuatu!

Frankly I’m surprised that you decided to once again extend your volunteer contract knowing that you will be living in Vila and not Tanna – especially after having gone home to the U.S. for such a long time. I would think that would make coming back either really difficult or really desirable. It was really interesting to hear your feelings about returning home and the dis-connect you felt from your friends and family. Maybe that makes coming back easier?

After having been in Vila for 6 weeks I was really ready to return to Tanna. Vila was a much needed break. After having been on this island for almost 6 months, a very long stretch by any Peace Corps standards, it felt good to see everyone, to reconnect, and to decompress. And yet, after just the first couple weeks I was starting to sour on Vila. I left Tanna feeling absolutely giddy to get back to Vila - you leave with the idea that you’re heading for a nice urban experience... a taste of a more sensible lifestyle: restaurants, nightclubs, resorts, occassional air-conditioning. And then you get there and realize what you already knew -the restaurants are awful and over-priced, the nightclubs are a joke, the population is seperated into Ni-Vans and ex-pats when really I was looking for a mix of both. Even the kava isn’t that great. After just a few weeks, other than the work I was doing, I was ready to come back to Tanna... in fact, you could even say I was a bit giddy about coming back.

So here I am. And guess what… lots of little changes while I was gone. And yet, the more things have changed the more they’ve stayed the same.

But here are some highlights.

Many new houses are being built (but not mine!). I suppose the lifespan of a bamboo house is really only 5-8 years so I guess some of the construction is just replacing old houses – like the one for Chief Charley who promptly moved into the house they were building for you. But now Lucy is getting a new house, as well as Josep and his family. And Dominic was building a large house at the nakamal so we could sit inside and drink kava during a rainstorm. It only got half finished before he became really sick and bed-ridden. In fact, when I first arrived the word was that he was nearly on his deathbed. He couldn’t walk and hadn’t had a bowel movement in over a week. He had been sick for two weeks prior to my return. They took him to the hospital but of course they gave him some panadol and told him to go home. I asked more questions and learned that he never told the doctors about not going to the bathroom. The age old problem of Ni-Vans not sharing information even when it’s in their own best interest. Although now it seems like he’s coming along so I guess he’s going to be OK. He lost all his buff muscle mass and looks like a little kid again.

In other news… they raised the price of eggs and bread in Lenekal. Eggs are 45vt, and bread is now 40vt per loaf. The other night I was talking to Tom, the bread baker in Lowkatai, and asked if he was going to raise his prices as well. He’s still charging 30vt and thinks that if he raises the price then the people in the bush won’t be able to afford the bread. I pointed out that his expenses have gone up and that raising prices is a normal part of doing business. It was a pitch-black evening, and the glow from the brick-oven fire was reflecting off the faces of Yata, and small Jerry who were poking each other and messing around. The nearby “Bread Store” was still open, with it’s one lightbulb lighting the way for kava-drunk late night strollers, and the single exposed lightbulb hanging in the bread kitchen gently lit up the in-progress bread-making. I then suggested that he could raise the price to 35vt and still be selling for less than Lenekal. He shook his head “no”, and repeated his line about the poorer people who need the bread. I admired him for his attitude of good will.

And just then the power went out.

We were in total darkness but for the weakening glow from the brick-oven. Turns out the pre-paid power card had just run out. Becky had to close the “Bread Store” and Tom wouldn’t be baking any bread that night unless he decided to use flashlights. The wood used to get the oven going would be wasted. Before walking away I politely reminded him one more time that maybe raising his prices wouldn’t be such a bad idea afterall.

And then there is Kael. I’m disappointed to say that he decided to close his store and be a lazy bum. He plans to live off his girlfriends future income when she gets a teaching job (as if that was gaurantee). He told me his plan a while back, but I was still surprised that when I got back from Vila it was completely done. This was bad timing for him, I think, since right next to his store the local momma’s have cleared a large section of road front land to create a Lowkatai Momma’s market. Can you believe it? We will have our own produce market in Lowkatai. And if Kael was smart, in my opinion, he would have not only kept his store open but expanded his inventory to complement this new development. Along with the “Bread Store” they could effectively eliminate the need for people to travel into Lenekal. All the people from Matt’s village, for example, could cut their travel time in half. Well.. at least the opportunity is there for someone else. I’m thinking of how I can encourage someone else to grab the store and open a business – maybe a co-op or maybe a crafts market or something.

Speaking of co-ops – the Tafea Co-op has gone through some shit. Our biggest and most well stocked store is caught up in some funny-money scandal. I don’t understand the details, but Yaken was voted off the board and then just the other day there was a mini-riot of sorts in front of the store. Seems some shareholders are also threatening to burn the place down or maybe burn down Yaken's house. Some silly shit like that. Too bad for Matt that he’s currrently living in Yaken’s house! He’s been desperately trying to get proper locks installed. Since Yaken got the boot, his wife closed up her restaurant – the one tried and true restaurant that had actual chairs and chilled water! Now it’s gone. And guess what opened in it’s place? Another freakin’ store that sells exactly the same inventory as all the other stores. It boggles the mind that they just keep opening more and more stores that all sell the same 25 items. How is it possible that they all don’t understand the concept of differentiation. Anyway… none of this bodes well for the co-op. I expect it to completely collapse within a few months unless wiser heads can prevail. Some drunken fool will likely burn the place down ‘cause he thinks he’s getting riped off from his co-op shares and then not realize that all the burned inventory represented his own money.

Oh – and Mary Jack, who moonlights as the Chairwoman of our ineffective COV Board, has been promoted to Secretary General of the TAFEA Province. This means, of course, that we will see her even less than before. I genuinely like Mary and I’m happy that she was promoted. But in my own selfish way I have to just give a big *sigh* and wonder how this coffee project is ever going to get into the hands of the locals.

Speaking of COV Board members - Rex is MIA and has not delivered the wood or the concrete bricks to build my house. Personally, I’m still miffed that Terry handed over the New Zealand High Comm check to Rex for him to supply the materials. I had suggested that maybe it would be wiser if we show him the check, and then withhold handing it over until the materials are actually delivered. Now he’s had the money for close to three months, and nothing has happened. Ho hum. With Kevin’s consent I’ve moved back into White Beach Bungalows. Only this time I’ve decided to make myself more comfortable, moving stuff around, installing a small desk(!), and hanging fabric on the walls. I can see myself here for the duration of my service. I can’t believe Peace Corps is paying for this, but then when Kevin told me our main office phone and internet invoice was THIRTEEN THOUSAND U.S. DOLLARS for just the past two months I decided not to ever feel bad about them paying the equivilent of $200 per month for my housing even though it’s contrary to PC policy to pay for housing.

APCD Mark was just down here the other day scopeing out a couple sites for new volunteers, which includes transferring Jess Porter to work with the Department of Agriculture. She's one of my personal friends from training. Can you believe it? I mean, how lucky am I to have not one but TWO of my friends located within walking distance? Tanna is just getting better and better. Plus, Mark said he is working on developing two additional new sites in addition to the extended services of Tony and Erica. Combine these five new sites with the replacements for Larry and David and that means come July we will have seven new faces for a total of ten Tanna volunteers (with me, Matt and Chris Beale). Jess, Erica and Matt will be within walking distance, but the others are all still pretty remote from Lenekal. Oh sheesh... I forgot Michael Hoffman - that makes eleventeen volunteers! (as the Kamut might say).

It's been hotter than balls down here and surprisingly little rain. I fully expected some hardcore weather happening, but it's getting dryer and dryer. Very worried about the coffee plants. They said it rained only two times while I was in Vila. Hmmm.

Walking around I'm still as likely as ever to have someone sing out your name when they see me. Or sometimes they might actually talk to me for a bit before realizing I'm not you. This doesn't bother me at all - I think it's funny and I understand how hard it is for them to keep straight the three white guys on an all black island. Lord knows I don't know any other their names either!

Well... that should be enough for now. Kamut keeps asking me to get a phone card so he can ring you, but the last time we tried calling you one of Vanuatu's founding fathers died and the news came through the phone we were trying to use. That was something. whew.

Maybe I'll see you at the next COV board meeting? It should be a good one! POPACA is likely going to grant us 4 million vatu instead of the revolving credit fund. This is good news... until you realize that we will most certainly run out of money come August. I did the financial projections and in a perfect word scenario it just won't work. I asked the Director of Agriculture what she thinks we should do and she sorta shrugged her shoulders. I guess that's how these development projects go - you are always just about to drown.